"Test everything; retain what is good.” (1 Thes 5:21) A laywoman expresses concerns about issues in the Roman Catholic Church to foster positive dialogue by posing and exploring questions.
Please remember that Canon Law says it is not only a right but a duty to question the church. Also, Canon Law provides an over-riding power to the sensus fidelium (sense of the faithful). By this, Canon Law says that if the sensus fidelium (collective of the faithful) reject a law, it is not valid.

Saturday, July 18, 2015

Of Miracles and Messes...

Dear Pope Francis,

I have written you a few letters but never received the favor of a
reply.Nonetheless, I continue writing
in hopes that someday we discuss pressing issues in the church.

I am inspired to write again now after listening to this weekend’s
reading from Jeremiah, “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the flock of
my pasture, says the LORD (Jer 23:1).”With U.S. Catholics’ mere 25% Mass participation rate that’s dropping as
I type, I am starting to wonder if it’s possible for the shepherds to destroy
and scatter the flock much more than they’ve already done.Have we not suffered enough from their poor
shepherding skills?Is it not time to
stop doubling-down on the sheep-scattering tactics and exchange them for
exemplary shepherding skills?

I write because I’m confused.To
quote Ghandi, “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would
also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world
change towards him. ... We need not wait to see what others do.”

Frank, simply put, what are you waiting for?Be the miracle you hope to see!Make the mess you hope gets made!

I offer ten suggestions of miracles and messes you could do today, by
mere virtue of the white pointy hats you own and the fabulous chair you sit
upon in St. John Lateran’s Basilica.

1.Re-institute married
clergy.Nothing needed to do this but
the stroke of a pen…specifically your pen.Please take it out, remove the cap, dip it in
the papal ink well and scribble away…

2.Re-institute ordaining women
as deacons.Again, there’s no obstruction
to doing this.Benedict paved the way by
declaring that deacons no longer act in
persona Christi.While your pen is
out please handle this one too.

3.Change Canon Law to remove
ordaining women as a grave delict and instead add bishops who mishandle sexual
abuse cases.Then please address the
numerous bishops guilty of this grave delict.

4.Tell the truth.Dispense with clinging to false biological,
medical and psychological teachings as foundations to establishing “truths”
about human sexuality. You can’t say
you’re the penultimate guardian of truth if you don’t tell it.

5.Change canon law to prevent
Catholic employers from denying their employees access to medical care just
because they fear it.The medications
used to treat many female health issues can also be used for birth
control.However, the medication itself
is merely a tool. Indeed it is a tool often used to help conceive life. It is one particular
usage of that tool to which you object, yet the tool is outright banned.Consistent application of this rule would see
the rope cincture around your waist barred since many people have been hanged using
ropes.Furthermore having episcopal review
boards rather than medical ones determining whether or not women can have
certain life-saving procedures performed at Catholic hospitals is just derelict.Stop this practice at once.Scribble that into canon law and make the
U.S. bishops fix their medical ethics document to reflect the change.

6.Lift the excommunications
hanging over all people.Grant general
amnesty since, “Who are you to judge?”

7.Cancel any meetings in
Philadelphia that lack women – laywomen – not cheerleaders for church status
quo and not only religious women, but regular women who are mothers.They can teach you much about what it means
to be a holy mother as you try to lead “Holy Mother Church.”

8.Cancel any meetings in Philly
that are exclusively with clergy and all meetings with Archbishop Chaput unless
he accompanies you to meet with groups such as Fortunate Families being barred from attending his World
Meeting of Families.

9.Take time when you are in
Philadelphia to meet with women with such a strong sense of calling that they
are willing to endure scorn, rejection and excommunication… Yes, that’s right; meet with Catholic women priests.Understand why they do what they do after you listen to understand what
they do.Then make them dinner and serve
it to them.This can be done in person
and thus save on those expensive charges for overseas cellphone calls you must
be racking up with your spontaneous, surprise pope-calls.

10.Update the papal wardrobe to
align with the poor – perhaps a nice pair of second hand jeans and a t-shirt from
the St. Vincent de Paul store would be in order.These are practical work clothes and require
far less bleach and fuss to clean than the flowing white gowns you currently
wear…Maybe you can have a big garage
sale at the Vatican and sell your white vestments to a traveling band of
dentists in dire need of white fabric.It’s just a suggestion.

I think if you did any one of these ten suggestions, you would
definitely cause a mess and be seen by some as creating scandal while to most
of the scattered flock seem like you just worked a miracle.Isn’t that what you’re going for here?Or are your words just supposed to make good
press?

Sincerely,

A ewe…still in the flock despite being metaphorically beaten with
multiple shepherds’ staffs as they try to run me out of the flock…“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter
the flock of my pasture…”

P.S.Sorry to rescind my offer
of hospitality but it looks like I’ll be out of the country when you come to
the U.S.Enjoy your visit and be sure to
have a Philly cheesesteak, visit the Liberty Bell and tour the Philadelphia
Mint.

About Me

I am a single mother of three who from the eyes of the Roman Catholic hierarchy is in full communion with the Church. But I question if any woman is capable of being in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church due to clericalism, sexism, and the marginalization, and emotional abuse of women.
I hold a master degree in theology from Loyola (Master of Pastoral Studies, M.P.S.). I am not employed by the Catholic Church but rather am an executive consultant.
Some ask if I want to be a priest. We are baptized priest, prophet and king. I feel I am more called to exercise my prophetic voice than a priestly one.
(Artwork supplied courtesy of one of my daughters.)